Twitter now has live broadcast Periscope button for everyone

A few weeks ago, users observed that Twitter was testing out a Periscope button within the app itself. This means that you could start to “go live” from the Twitter app in case you got the urge to start streaming from there. Now this button is available for all Android users although you would have to of course install the Periscope app itself on your mobile device. This move comes at a time when Facebook Live is starting to gain traction over its competitors like Periscope and Meerkat.

The only catch is that you won’t actually live stream from Twitter itself. Choosing the Live button, which you’ll see beside the Photo and Video choices when you start a new Tweet, will actually lead you to the Periscope app itself. If you don’t have the app installed on your smartphone yet, it will prompt you to download it immediately from the Google Play Store. This makes sense because even though it is owned by Twitter, Periscope still wants to establish itself as a separate entity from the micro-blogging app.

And that is where Facebook Live has the advantage. It is built within the social network itself and is not a separate product for now. Although, given the penchant of Facebook to build stand-alone apps, it might eventually become one. This move from Twitter is really about introducing Periscope to a wider audience, since not everyone on Twitter is aware of the live-streaming app (or the concept of live streaming for that matter). If you’re often on Twitter, starting a live broadcast also became a bit easier as it will directly lead you to Periscope.

The new live broadcast button should be on your Twitter Android app. If it’s not yet, either you need to update or you need to wait for the update to reach you.